A majority of current communication networks, such as digital cellular, provide data and voice services based on circuit switched technology. Such systems provide voice services by statically allocating a constant bandwidth to provide a circuit for each voice device. However, the utilization of transmission resources in circuit switching is suboptimal for data services, such as mobile Internet access, because the transmission connection is maintained throughout the contact, without regard as to whether information is being transmitted at any given moment. Dynamic channel allocation protocols define a packet channel in the unused voice circuit channel capacity. This provides for voice and packet data services to be efficiently provided on a common carrier where the data services are provided on a packet channel that occupies bandwidth left unused by the voice services.
Data services are provided to mobile stations. When it is necessary for a mobile station to transmit data packets, the mobile station transmits a reservation request to the fixed network equipment indicating the amount of data to be transmitted. Upon reception of the reservation request on the inbound channel, the fixed network equipment transmits a channel grant signal on the outbound channel granting the mobile station timeslots for transmission of the data packets on the inbound channel. In this way the mobile station is allocated inbound channel capacity. However, if interference or noise corrupts the reception of the channel grant signal by the mobile station, the mobile station will not transmit on the allocated inbound channel capacity, and the allocated inbound channel capacity will consequently go unused. In response, the mobile station will retransmit the reservation request and the granting signal will be retransmitted. The resulting retransmissions and unused inbound channel capacity can significantly degrade the capacity of the wireless communication system. Thus, a plurality of inbound channel grant signals, typically four, are transmitted by the fixed network equipment. If a first of the plurality of channel grant signals is missed by the mobile station due to noise or interference, then a subsequent of the plurality of channel grant signals will be received. This provides a time diversity redundancy that reduces the likelihood of the retransmissions and increases the system capacity.
Prior art mobile stations are single channel devices. When a grant signal is received on an outbound channel, the inbound capacity is reserved on a paired inbound channel having a predetermined relationship with the outbound channel. However, single channel devices are limited with respect to the rate at which data can be received or transmitted by the mobile stations. Fixed network equipment typically transmit multiple carriers, typically but not necessarily limited to four, within a cell. This provides for a plurality of inbound and outbound packet channels within a cell. Improved multiple channel mobile stations have the advantage of being able to simultaneously receive and/or transmit data on a plurality of outbound and/or inbound packet channels when the fixed network equipment relates the multiple inbound and outbound channel capacity for each multiple channel mobile station. As a result, the data rate of data services can be significantly increased to a multiple channel mobile station. This facilitates an enhanced Internet or other network access experience by a user of the multiple channel mobile station.
It is desirable to provide a system that facilitates voice, single channel data services and multiple channel data services within each cell. Single channel data services transmit a plurality of channel grant signals on one of the plurality of outbound channels. It is desirable that multiple channel data services maintain the advantage of transmitting the plurality of channel grant signals while taking further advantage of frequency diversity provided by the multiple channel data services.